Automobile door buffer



I N VENTR. J'oEP'H E0 w/NKA J. LEDWINKA AUTOMOBILE DOOR BUFFER Filed 0G13.

Get. il 1927.,

Patented Oct. 11, 1927.

UNITED STATES JOSEPH LEIDWINXA,A OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO EDWARD G.

BUDD MANUFACTURING- CO., 0F PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION i OF PENNSYLVANIA..

AUTOMOBILE DOOR BUFFER.

appiioation aied october 2, i924. seriai No. 741,261.

The door buffer of my invention belongs in the field of automobile door buffers and particularly to that portion of the field comprehended by pressed metal door buffer structures. In other words, it is particularly applicable to automobile body door structures made of pressed metal, but it undoubtedly has other applications.

The primary function of such devices is to cushion the impact of the door when closed either gently or'strongly and to eliminate noise. The impacting heads of such buiers are, therefore, commonly composed of rubber'. The attainment of this principal object has, as a rule, offered no diiiiculty. But to attain this simple result in a pressed metal construction without complex and. more or less expensive additions to the fabrication of the parts and their assembly has been possessed of some diliiculty. I have eliminated this difficulty to a large extent.

Most pressed metal constructions involve posts of hollow cross section. I introduce the buffer bodies from the exteriors of these posts through apertures in their exterior or front walls and lay them flatly against the interior side or jamb wallsoie the posts and I provide a clamping means to hold the bodies firmly yet adjustably against these interior faces of these side walls whereb the outwardly projecting heads may be a justed at will to engage the closing door to any desired degree, and, yet, when adjusted, are always firmly held in position. The lpai*- ticular structure embodies a post of c annel-shaped section in one portion of which at least the walls are offset. I introduce the buiers either through an aperture in the oiset or through the bottom of the channel to lie flatly against the interior faces of the side walls of the channel, provide a socket to j.

receive them by securing a sheet metal member to the interior face of the' side wall in a position to overlie the body of the buer, and ,a simple clamping screw to draw the body of the socket more or less firmly against the body of the buer.

Still more specically, the clampin screw passes through the side wall of the c -annel from the exterior, through the body of the buer and through the clamping member and the body of the buer is provided with an elongated slot whereby it may be longitudinally adjusted without interference with the clamping screw. j

The drawings` show this embodiment of my invention.

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a motor car body;

Fig. 2 shows the buffer of my invention applied to the doors 'of this car which is of the sedan type, above the window sills, the section being taken on lines 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 shows my invention as ap lied to the same doors below the window sills, the secion being taken on lines 3-3 of Fig. 1; an

Fig. 4 is a sectional elevation taken on lines 4-4 of the application shown in Fig. 2.

The sedan body in connection with which my invention is illustrated is provided with two doors 10 and 11 respectively which close toward each other upon an intermediate door post commonly known as the B and C post and so designated in this connection. In closed body vehicles, there are commonly used two buffer structures, one near the top of the door and one near the bottom of the door and it is so in this case, the upper one being illustrated in Fig. 2 and the lower one in Fig. 3. Y

Referring first to the upper structure, it will be seen that the B and C post is of' channel cross section presenting inwardly of the body of the car. It comprises an outer or bottom wall 12 and channel side walls 13 and 14 respectively. Projected through aperture 14 in the bottom wall 12 or, at least, in the corners between the bottom and side walls of the channel section, are buier bodies 15, one on each side, extending interiorly of the hollow of the post and lying iiatly against the repective side walls 13 and 14 of the channel section. These bu'er bodies are substantially flat, yet suiiiciently thick to give adequate mechanical strength and elastic absorption of the energy of the door when the bodies are struck by the door. Exteriorly, the bodies are 'provided with heads 16 of enlarged section projecting laterally beyond the side walls 13 and 14 and forming with the body proper'l shoulder 17 which abuts the edges of the 4side walls surrounding the apertures 14. The heads 16 are, moreover, given a shape in substantial conformto adjust the heads 16 to any degree toward and from the outside of the post to. vary the range of the buffer action and the resiliency and gradation thereof. Projected through the slot from the exterior of the jamb wall of the post is a clamping screw 20 threaded into an interior nut 21 which confines between itself and the body of. the buffer a metal clamping plate 22. The adjusted buier may by this means be clamped firmly in place against the interior wall of the post. In this embodiment, the plate 22 is constituted by the upper end of an angle clip 23 welded b a bottom flange24 to the interior. side wall of the post, sov that. the upper end is {iexibly related tothe lower and, therefore, yieldingly related to the clamping screw 2O and nut 21'.

This structure possesses the simplicity, cheapness and effectiveness sought for to' a ,remarkable degree.

The structure embodied in the lower buffer outlined in Fig. 3 is essentially similar except that the side walls 13 and 14 of the lower length of the post are offset at 25 to form outwardly presenting shoulders for co-operation with the door rand its appurtenances, and the jamb rails 18 of the door are correspondingly offset at 26. The buffer bodies are projected through the offset portions of walls 13 and 14 and their heads lie between offsets 25 and 26 of the posts and doors respectively. Still further, in this case, the clamping plates 22 are comprised of offsets in the inner lining 27 of the post, this lining `having sufficient fiexibility to yieldingly relate the ortions 22 to the clamping screw 20 an the nutv 21 which nuts, it may be remarked, are fixed to .the

mamar sons, all without departing from its generic' spirit.

The annexed claims should cover all such embodiments.

`What I claim isz 1. In a device of the class described av pressed metal door post having an offset jamb wall of single sheet metal thickness, a buffer block projecting through an aperture in the odset and lying iatly against the in-I ner surface of said jamb wall, and means lamping the bodyagainst said inner surace.

2. In a device .of the classdescribed a pressed metal hollow door post having la rabbeted jamb wall, a `headed'buier block projected through an aperture in the rabbet to lie flatly against the inner surface of the post with its head nested in said rabbet, and means firmly clamping the body against said inner surface.

3. In combination, a pressed metal door post havino a rabbeted amb wall, a resilient buier bloc projecting through an aperture in therabbet and lying iiatly against the inner surface of said door post, and a flexible plate yattached to said door post and embracing said buffer block to retain the latter in position. l

4. In combination, a pressed metal door post, a plate attached to lthe inner surface thereof, the main body of said plate being laterally spaced from the jamb wall of the post, and .a resilient bufer block having its head disposed exteriorly of said door post and its main body disposed in the space between said jamb wall and said plate laterally spaced therefrom.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature. JOSEPH LEDWINKA..A

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